Mac OS X: Command-Tab doesn't switch back to fullscreen app

Question

Using the Spaces style fullscreen mode in OS X, I can easily Command-Tab out of a fullscreen app, but trying to Command-Tab back in doesn't take me back to that space, only switches the Menu Bar to the application.

Currently the easiest way to get back to the fullscreen app is using the gesture system, which is kind of annoying.

How do I Command-Tab back to the fullscreen app?

NB: Tested with iTerm2 and Terminal.

Solution 1

Open System Preferences and open the Mission Control preferences. Check When switching to an application, switch to a space with open windows for the application.

Solution 2

To get back to a full-screen app, hit ⌥→ (or ⌃→).

You can use ⌥ and a number key or ⌥← or ⌥→ to scroll back and forth. It's annoying – especially if you're coming from Windows – but you get used to it eventually.

Solution 3

control + left / right arrows do the trick when you are trying to swich to a full screen video

Comments

[Grouchal]

just great thanks - how does that manage to get unset?

[steve]

Strange -- this always used to work for me, but then last week, it mysteriously stopped working. I don't know how this got unchecked.

[Michael Johnston]

unfortunately if you have multiple windows open in an app, and make one full screen, when you command tab back to that app it takes you to the frontmost window in the main space, not the space of the window you made fullscreen. Which seems ridiculous to me -- if I made a window fullscreen would that not be my highest priority window when switching to the app? For me apple's full screen is still unusable even in 10.10

[WestCoastProjects]

@MichaelJohnston Appreciate the confirmation. I thought I were the only one annoyed with full screen on mac

[cgseller]

This is still the case in 10.10+. I did find sometimes when clicking on the Dock icon, or CMD+TAB to the application, it would switch focus to that application (e.g. title bar changed) however it did not switch the space and show the application window. I was able to temporarily resolve this with a logout/login or reboot, but I also was able to (at least for now) solve this by loading the opening the com.apple.spaces.plist file in my Library/Preferences/ in XCode, and just closing XCode. It somehow magically was delicious. I save this here for those searching on similar behavior....

[Idemax]

This doesn't work for 100% of the apps.

[Srneczek]

This does not work 10.11.4

[orome]

This doesn't work on Sierra.

[HikeMike]

@raxacoricofallapatorius Uh, that's a bug. And proving that you should never upgrade to a point-zero release of OS X. This has been a good rule of thumb for over a decade.

[Tony Barganski]

Using macOS Catalina 10.15.1, the Mission Control option "When switching …" doesn't work for me in Full Screen (single app) or Split Screen mode (two apps side-by-side in Full Screen).

[James Cushing]

Hero! Can confirm this worked in macOS 10.15.4 (Catalina) on a 16" 2019 MBP - how on earth is this not the default behaviour?

[Martin Berger]

Not relevant on macos Catalina in 2020 as this option is already selected. Check Travelling Tech Guy's answer below. Use Option + -> keys.

[Admin]

This worked for me, other answers did not. Doesn't need to be a video, works for any fullscreen app.